Author's Note:
All right, time to write out the festive season and cram it all down to this one chapter! It's Christmas time in Venice, and I hope to portray a fun and enjoyable chapter as well as a meaningful one, if possible. Enjoy!
Chapter 38: A Christmas Visit
"Huff... Puff.." I watched as my own breath came out as puffs of white clouds. Rubbing my mittens together, I turn to see the City of Venice covered in a blanket of pure, white snow. I couldn't believe it snowed so hard that day, as rare as snow is in Venice. Snowflakes would float and fall from the lines of rooftops all around the city. The white, misty sky was diluted with snoke coming from the multiple chimneys of the City. It's been a few years, but I still get amazed at the sight of snow in the City every time I see them. I find my eyes trailing across the sky, playing the little game of trying to find where the clouds had hidden the sun.
"Sigh..." I unconsciously gave out a sigh as I looked over my City. Huh, did I just say my City? A year ago, you would never caught me saying that, ever. Before I knew it, a smile stretched across my face. I'm just happy the City's safe.
As I stood near the bench in the park, the sounds of waves, calm as they were, can still be heard. Suddenly, I got the urge to walk across town, I don't know why. The stone-paths so numerous around my City was brushed and littered with snow at their sides, their color dulled. The silence of the streets was broken as my foot-steps clicked one after another. I walked on, wearing a light blue sweater and mittens. "Brr.. " The cold sent shivers down my spine, but I ignored it and continued on.
The first place I went to was the street where the Assassin came for me. Also, it's the place where I accepted my title for the first time ever. The carts from the bazaars were still placed neatly by the building, covered by a layer of cloth and snow. I still remember the look on the guy's face as he limped away, his silver hair and red eyes glowing under the moonlight.
"Hmm, I wonder what he's doing now?" I asked out casually as the thought ran through my mind.
As I walked through the empty streets, the lights of the houses shine with activity. I guess everyone's at home celebrating Christmas. I had thought of asking some of my friends or my Famiglia to come and celebrate Christmas with me, but I can't be that selfish...
Standing before my school, I saw what looked like my school in a pile of snow. Looking up, I realized how tall the school looked, something I never paid attention before. Images of students enjoying their time at school popped into my mind, and another smile appeared on my face. At the highest point, I could almost see Dante aiming his rifle, the one weapon that never leaves his side. As the experience of getting shot not once, but twice crawls its way back into my mind, I shudder at the thought, heart-beat going faster and instinctively rubbing the spot where I was shot.
I could hear the howling of the wind dying down as I stood by the gate of my school.
Oh right, the Culture Festival. I remember my time getting dunked, yeah, it wasn't fun. I also remember how pepped my class were for the Festival, the stalls they put up. How surprised I was when my Famiglia came to the Festival as well, their smiles and laughter ringing through my ears.
"Hahahaha..." I can't help but laugh out loud as I reminisced on what happened before. Staring at the main square pass the gates, I'm amazed that all the damage from Skull's octopus is now but a memory. The well carved stone used to replace what was lost during that fight looked exactly the same. I still can't rightly believe about the octopus though, I don't think I would if I hadn't seen it for myself.
Then, my tapping steps led me to the De Luca household. I stood near their gate and to my surprised, their lights were off. Well, maybe they didn't need it. I admired Kiera's house from the gates, its bland, simple, traditional design looked really peaceful and beautiful with its coat of white. That was when I saw the damage from my fight with Fionn gone as well. It almost felt like magic!
Finally, I stopped in the park, with its trees swaying and grass blowing in the wind, snow slowly falling off the blades of the leaves.
"Sigh..." I gave out and stretched my arms wide open, looking up to the sky. So many things happened here, like the time when I tailed Gina and Johann when they were hanging out together. To the time Johann and I fought the Vindice side by side. Taking a seat on the bench, I find my eyes following the trees in a hypnotized gaze. Alas, the sound of the waves brought me back up on my feet.
"Amato?" A sweet, gentle voice called out my name. I turned to see Gina standing a few steps away, her pink hood up.
"Hey, Gina. Merry Christmas!" I greeted her as was my courtesy, turning to look at her with a smile. As soon as I did, I saw her fluster up, her face red with emotion.
She stood there for few seconds, embarrassed as she twiddled with her fingers and adjusted her hood, before slowly making her way towards me. Having calmed down the best she could, her smile returned. "Merry Christmas! Hey, what are you doing outside on Christmas?" She asks out, giving me the impression that she's trying to strike up a conversation to change her own chain of thoughts. Of course, talking to the Idol of the school, the girl I have a crush on, I gladly complied.
"Well, I can't spend the whole day alone, can I?" I answered her question with another, feeling strangely calm and relaxed in front of her today. "Also, being cooped up in that mansion by myself seems unhealthy, so I thought I'd go for a walk.." I continued, turning calm to look at the trees and listen to the waves. Shifting my eyes, I saw how Gina's eyes fell and how her smile shrank a little.
Suddenly, I felt like I said something wrong. Feeling desperate, I searched my mind for another change of topic. "Hey, aren't you gonna spend Christmas with your family? Ya know, the family lunch?"
Right, the standard celebration. A variety of meat, vegetables, cheese, bread, all spread out over the table. Surrounding each dish would be a bowl of sweets that compliments the dish itself. Just thinking about it makes my stomach growl. On this day, they serve food that's to die for, literally! Zesty finger-food like the Cappun Magro, to the Stuffed Capon, poultry stuffed with all the best ingredients you could buy. Wait, why am I thinking about food now?
".. I wanted to visit you cause I knew you'd be alone at home.." Gina's words left me stunned, her soft, sweet voice melting me away. I could feel the heat rising to my face, and it pushed away any of the cold I was feeling. Before I knew it, I was walking home with Gina by my side. "Um.. Gina?"
"Hm?" She replied with a whistle, her smile practically shining.
"Uh... nevermind." I wanted to ask why she seemed so excited to visit the mansion, but her smile made me forget what words to say.
It was a touching sight. I walked through the main hall of the Zanna mansion with Gina by my side, expecting serene silence, but chatter and laughs were heard. Coming into the living room, I watched as the light within each of my friends' eyes brightened as they saw my arrival. Johann and Sergio jumped out of their seats excitedly, their smiles appearing across their faces. I could even feel Dante and Vito changing their expression to a happy one as soon as I saw them, but maybe that was just me. The fireplace in which I haven't been using in a while, crackles with sparks and flames as the fire brought a festive ambient into the room.
"Merry Christmas!" My friends greeted me in unison. I turn to Gina, confused as I was, and she replied with a playful look on her face.
"W-what's all this?" I asked out, confused and surprised. I did not expect this turn of events. I could barely control myself as I walked into the middle of the room one step at a time.
"It's Christmas! Ya know.. Santa Clause, the Feasts? You're not that oblivious to the holiday, are you?" Vito replied to me as he leaned against the wall in the corner, sarcastically as usual. He held a wine glass in his hand, filled with a deep, golden liquid. Wait, is that liqour? As he talked, he waved his glass up into the air. He certainly looked like he was enjoying himself.
"Yeah, and we knew you would be spending the day alone, and we can't have that, so Gina planned this Christmas party for you." Sergio explained as he walked towards me, smiling and laughing from his conversation with Johann. The surprise was a bit too much, and I find myself taking a seat on the sofa to calm myself. It very much felt like the day-dream I had this morning, being able to spend Christmas day with my friends.
"But, what about your families? Don't you want to spend Christmas with them?" I cried out, worrying about my friends even after seeing the party. I don't know why, but that was the first thing that came into my mind. My friends all looked at me and shook their head, as if they expected it.
Suddenly, a huge, muscled arm curled itself around my neck, shocking me. A deep booming voice then yelled across the room.
"Zanna! Can't you be a little less selfish for once? I gotta say I can't have you as my son-in-law like this, you won't survive for long in the working world!" The towering figure pulled me off my feet by his one arm alone. My back facing him, I couldn't see his face, but his voice was all too familiar. Out of the corner leading to the kitchen, Fionn came into my view. He tried hard to look away from my eyes, and to look as bored as he could, but I knew he was enjoying himself. A little. Kiera was right, he is easy to read.
"Hmph. Merry Christmas." Fionn greeted me after what looked like a long time of forcing himself. Grabbing a cup of juice, he walked away and took a seat on the sofa.
"Merry Christmas, Lord De Luca, Fionn." I returned the greeting, as was my courtesy, still struggling in Lord Gerald's arms. As much as I did, I couldn't break free from his grip.
"Uh.. Sir? Would you mind releasing me? I'm kinda suffocating here..." I replied. Even so, my words were losing their tone. As I was left hanging, I saw Gina and Sergio chuckling at my current predicament.
"Not until you hear what your friends has to answer your question from before..." Holding me hanging, he brought me in front of my friends. "And understand exactly why they did this for you." He continued in his low, deep voice. From his words, I gotta feeling I was wrong about something.
"Lunch is ready!" Another familiar voice came from the kitchen, and Kiera trotted in with a smile on her face. I know that smile, that's the smile Kiera always put on after she completed her dishes. She looked as pretty as usual, even if she was in her maid outfit. I stared at Kiera as she got flustered after seeing her father with me. "Papa! I told you not to touch Lord Amato! You always go to far when you use physical contact!" She cried out, her serious demeanor disappearing for a second there.
"So that's it, my daughter's leaving me..." Lord Gerald suddenly went into a state of depression as he let me down, with Fionn being there to comfort him. I'd feel bad for him if I didn't have to catch my breath. "But, you still need to hear what your friends' have to say." The lord calmly say out and patted me on the back.
"We celebrated in the morning, and our family understands!" Sergio and Gina nodded to each others before turning towards me with a smile.
"Hm, be it charisma or just your leadership, your qualities drew me back." Dante nodded to himself, eyes closed with a small smile on his face, leaning at a corner of the room. His ornate rifle was slung over his back, right by his side.
"Someone has to be here, ready to treat you, considering how often you get injured." Vito spoke out in his turn, waving his glass around once more. Is he drunk? "You're gonna get injured today as well, just you wait.." He continued as his voice died down. His words... don't make me feel well.
"I lost my memory, and it'll take a while before I remember my family..." Johann voices out his reason, scratching his chin. He had this worried look on his face. Maybe he thinks his reason isn't good enough? "..For now, you're my family." He looked on with honest eyes.
"Yeah, and my family can't have you celebrating Christmas alone, Lord Amato." Kiera declared in her usual tone after calming herself down, her eyes closed as she stood with her cooking apron around her waist. Lord Gerald and Fionn nodded in response. "Also, I've made up for all the feasts you've missed with lunch today!" Kiera declared once more, her face practically beaming.
Hearing the words, I realized something. Maybe I've been selfish myself. Did I ever thought that maybe what I wanted wasn't what my friends wanted? Sending them back, leaving myself all alone, maybe they didn't want that. I pondered with own thoughts as I smiled, realizing what great friends I have. I took a moment, and saw how precious my friendship is with my friends. It is a feeling that I always want to have, a feeling I never want to lose. Their smile, their laughs, I will protect them. Silently, I made the promise to myself.
The sight of the city felt completely different in the sunset. The faint orange tint was accompanied by the rows of houses shining, reflecting the sunlight. The waves swish with much more life than before, hitting against the walls of canals as if nature itself is celebrating this joyous occasion. I watched, my arms up across the balcony from my room. The cold no longer bothered me. Today felt like a something from a story, though I can't say I didn't enjoy it. There's less smoke coming from the chimneys now, and I see people coming out of the houses now. Well, mainly couples, looking out at the sunset.
"Hey, Amato." A voice brought me back, catching my attention. I turn to see Gina walking out towards me.
"Hey Gina.." I greeted her back, the sunset making me feel strangely slow and laid back. Looking at Gina, I recall how the party today was Gina's idea, and I suddenly get the urge to thank her.
"Where have you been? You disappeared after lunch.." Gina asked out meekly, looking towards the sunset as well. Her dark, mystical hair flew with a sudden gust of the wind. Her beautiful, pale skin shined with the glow of the setting sun. Looking at her emerald green eyes, I felt my heart-beat getting faster. Breathing in a deep breath, it got more and more difficult to say anything in front of her.
"Uh.. Well.. It was great.. the lunch..." I stammered word after word, my eyes still stuck looking at her. "I.. ate a little too much.." I just blurt out whatever reason that popped into my mind. Gina gave out a small chuckle at my words.
"... Thanks for today, Gina." I finally gave out after a few seconds. Before I knew it, I had already turned to admire her. For some reason, when her eyes turn to see me, I felt flustered, and stumbled back to look at the sunset.
"... Amato?" Gina's voice asks out in a questioning tone once more. Then, a soft feeling landed on my shoulders. It took me a while to realize it was Gina's hand. As I turned to face her once more however, a soft, gentle feel pressed itself against my lips. A warm feeling washed itself over me, sending a strange, pleasant sensation through my body. Dazed, I could feel my body getting wobbly over the sensation. My eyes widen as I finally realized it was Gina kissing me, on the lips.
As her sweet, soft lips parted, I saw her face furiously blushed, red all over. Smiling, she pointed to the top of the door leading to the balcony before disappearing back into the house. Curious, and still locked in place from what happened, I looked up to see a certain plant, growing by the ledge.
"Well what do you know.." I said out loud to myself as I realized what it meant, leaning back on the blacony with a smile on my face.
Really long chapter, but a good one. I'm glad that I get to develop the relationship between Amato and his friends in this chapter, as well as the relationship between the Boss and the School Idol! All right, the next chapter will mark the change and the start of the next part of the story, watch out!